


For the Summer

by youweremyworstx



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Love, Nelena, Nick jonas - Freeform, Romance, Selena Gomez - Freeform, nick and selena - Freeform, nick jonas and selena gomez - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-09 10:04:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7797550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youweremyworstx/pseuds/youweremyworstx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noah and Ian have been best friends since they were little. Their whole lives they have shared the same taste in everything, including girls. Fast forward to college and Ian has the perfect girlfriend, Callie. Noah has fallen for his best friend's girl, and he must make a decision...Keep his friendship, or tell the girl he loves how he feels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Have a Safe Trip

_"Ian come on!"_ The girl shouted, as she ran back to the sand from the ocean.

 

Noah couldn't help but watch her. Her body was already considerably tanned and Summer was just beginning. The black bikini she wore hugged her in all the right spots. He had to look away, realizing that staring at his best friend’s girlfriend’s wet body probably wasn’t the smartest idea.

 

As she approached the group of boys he couldn't help but think what it might feel like to run his fingers through her long dark hair.

 

 _"Baby please come in, the water feels great!"_ Callie said, as she took a seat on the towel besides Ian, Noah's best friend, and her boyfriend of two years.

 

 _"Nah I'm good right now."_ The boy said coldly, Noah tried not to notice the disappointment written all over her face, but he couldn't help it.

 

The closeness in proximity made him weak. She smelled of the sea and the vanilla bean shampoo that made his senses go wild.

 

"I'll go with you." Noah offered, trying to act nonchalant, but the spike in his voice caused the pair to look at him strangely.

 

 _"It's okay."_ She finally responded, trying hard not to show that she was upset.

 

The rest of the day was spent with Callie in the water, splashing away, and both of the boys relaxed on the beach, although Noah would have jumped at the chance to be with her...she wasn't his, and she wouldn't ever be his.

 

Ian and Noah had been best friends since elementary school. They had always shared the same interest in sports, movies, everything really, and as unfortunate as it was, even girls.

 

They had decided early on to go to a West Coast college as they both agreed the girls had to be hotter than in their Midwestern home town.

 

It was a few weeks into the semester when Ian met Callie Taylor, she had been assigned as his Bio partner, and sparks were “instant.”

 

Unfortunately, for Noah the sparks were instant for him too.

 

Callie was the epitome of what any guy could have wanted. She was exotic and beautiful. She had grown up in California and she loved to be in the sea, as did the both of the boys. She was smart, smarter than either of them wished to be, and she was funny without the slightest bit of effort. In Noah’s opinion she was perfect.

 

The moment Noah felt himself falling for her, he threw himself into anything, and any girl he could to get his mind off of her. She and Ian would never last...at least that's what he told himself every time he saw the two kiss, or every time Ian bragged out about how Callie was in bed. He just had to wait it out and pretty soon Ian would get sick of Callie like he did with every girl he had ever dated.

 

Fast forward to now, nearly starting their Junior year of college and Callie was still in the picture. She and Ian were still together, but Noah had recently noticed that Ian didn’t seem as interested in the girl as he used to. To be honest, the way Ian treated her pissed him off to no end, but what could he say? Ian was his best friend, and even if Noah wanted so badly to tell him to either treat Callie better or let her go, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

 

Callie was now fully moved into Ian and Noah’s apartment, and having her constantly around him made Noah stay out even more. She was always there, not in annoying way but in a way that made it incredibly difficult for Noah to be in his own home as he could feel himself getting closer and closer to snapping, to just telling her how he felt and saying screw Ian.

 

 _"Callie! Come on I've got to get going!"_ Ian called to the girl, as he began packing up his things.

 

Ian had dreamed about becoming a lawyer since he was little, and now he had gotten the opportunity to work in a law firm in Seattle for the Summer, an internship that his father had set up with an old college buddy for him.

 

It was just going to be Noah and Callie for the next three months, and Noah couldn't deny the fact that he was excited.

 

**TWO HOURS LATER**

 

 _"Promise to call me the second you get there and I want to know everything about everything!"_ Callie said, and for the hundredth time she wrapped her arms around the boy, nearly causing him to drop his luggage.

 

 _"Come on babe I've gotta go, my cab's waiting."_ He replied, a slightly annoyed tone in his voice.

 

 _"Alright."_ Callie replied, a slight crack in her voice. _"I love you."_ She said to him, only to get no response.

 

 _"Noah I'm out!"_ He shouted to the boy, who had been camped out in his bedroom since they had made it back from the beach.

 

Finally, Ian walked out of the apartment, and Callie closed the door behind them.

 

Noah smirked as he heard the chain slide over to lock the door.

 

If he was ever going to take a chance, ever going to grow some balls and finally tell the girl that he loved her, this was going to be his chance. He only had three months and he wasn’t going to waist a single second of it.

 


	2. Never Have I Ever...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah and Callie are home alone and decide to play an innocent game of 'Never Have I Ever.'

Soon after the front door closed, Noah came out of his room, "uh Callie I was gonna go grab-" Noah spoke, opening the door to Ian and Callie's room without a knock.

 

 _"Noah!"_ She shrilled, quickly covering her nude body with a pillow, the closest thing she could find.

 

He quickly slammed the door behind him, his cheeks flushed with the sight of her body before him. "Fuck Cal I-I'm sorry I didn't see anything!" He lied, hoping that it would somehow make it better.

 

Callie came out wearing an oversized t-shirt that draped over her thighs. _"I'm sorry I should have locked the door, it's just you're never really home so sometimes I forget I’m not alone."_ She said, her cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

 

"Yeah, um it's cool, no biggie. I was just gonna go grab dinner, do you wanna come?" He asked, a hopeful tone in his voice.

 

 _"Uh I don't really feel like much for going out, I was just gonna stay in."_ She shrugged, tying her hair into a quick messy bun.

 

"Yeah sure." He said, trying not to show his disappointment.

 

 _"But we could order in, I know you probably have somewhere to be tonight, but it might be nice to hang out...I don't even know who you are these days."_ She giggled, playfully punching him in the arm.

 

It seemed since Callie moved in, Noah had become very distant.

 

In the beginning of Callie and Ian's relationship, she and Noah were close, but as his feelings became more clear, he had to pull back from her.

 

When Callie and Ian decided to move her in, Noah had been doing just about all he could to stay out of the house. He was partying a lot, and hooking up with random girls even more. He was searching for something to help him forget about Callie, but it was very apparent to him as time went on that there was nothing or no one in the world that could make him forget about his feelings for Callie.

 

Beautiful Callie.

 

"I'd like that." He replied, walking alongside her into the kitchen.

 

 _"Good because I would have made you stay with me anyways."_ She responded, pulling out two beers from the fridge and sliding one towards him.

 

A few hours, an empty pizza box, and a twelve pack later, Callie and Ryan had found themselves playing 'Never Have I Ever,' Callie giggling wildly, more than slightly buzzed as she had always been a lightweight.

 

Ryan got up from the couch and grabbed a bottle of tequila from the top of the fridge.

 

 _"No, no I couldn't. I don't want to be hungover in the morning, you know tequila makes me gag."_ Callie said coughing as she finished off the remaining beer in her bottle.

 

"Don't be a pussy it's your turn." He chuckled, pouring two shots and setting one on the table in front of her.

 

She was shit at this game, her entire life she had been rather well behaved so some might say she was a little bit…safe.

 

 _"Uhhhhh never have I ever...had sex in public!"_ She giggled, as Ryan regretfully downed his shot, shaking his head as the liquor burned his throat. 

 

"Fuck Ian, always spilling my secrets!" He said through a chuckle, although truthfully something about Callie knowing about all of the girls he had been with made him angry. He hated her thinking that he was some kind of player.

 

"Never have I ever got so drunk that I threw up all over someone during sex." He said with an arch in his brow.

 

 _"It was just one time and my Nonna had just died!"_ She said with a loud sigh downing the shot in front of her, shivering at the burn.

 

 _"Okay my turn...never have I ever secretly hated my roommate's girlfriend."_ She spoke, a suddenly serious tone in her voice.

 

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked, truthfully shocked.

 

Hate her? He didn't think it was humanly possible to hate Callie.

 

 _"Come on Noah... Ever since I moved in here you've just been so different...last year we were friends and now I don't know...something’s changed, I know I’m always around and I don’t know if you got tired of me or if I did something, I just…I can see it on your face you’re different."_ She said, her eyes looking so deeply into his that he had to look away.

 

"Callie. Nothing has changed, we’re still friends, and I don't hate you." He shook his head, downing another shot.

 

She continued to bug him about it, relentlessly begging him to just tell her what it was before finally, he couldn’t take her nagging him about it any longer.  

 

Without any thinking whatsoever he threw his body on top of hers, crashing his lips into hers so roughly that it nearly hurt...two years of wanting will drive a person crazy

 

But much to Noah's surprise, she kissed him back for a long moment.

 

His hands began to wander under the hem of the shirt she wore, wanting to stop, but the need to feel her against him was too overwhelming.

 

Her hands slowly reached for the shirt she wore and slid it over hear head, now fully exposed aside from the thin fabric of underwear. 

 

 _"Just-just this one time,"_ Callie whispered against Noah's earlobe, sending chills up his spine.

 

The growing bulge inside of his basketball shorts would have agreed to just about anything she said to him, but his heart knew that truthfully being with her tonight would only intensify his feelings for her.

 

Callie slid her fingertips under the hem of his shorts, pulling them down until now only two garments of clothing separated them.

 

"One time for now." Noah smirked, wrapping her in his arms and carting her towards the bedroom, not even bothering to shut the door. 

 

He wanted her to himself, and he had an entire Summer to show her who he could be for her.

 


	3. Give In To Me...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callie and Noah see how they feel in the morning light.

The following morning, Noah woke up to a world of pure bliss. He had got what he had been wanting so badly for the last two years. For the last two years he had watched her, thought about what it might be like, loved her without her even knowing it. But now, things would be different.

 

At least, that's what he wanted but as he rolled over to find Callie not fast asleep beside him, he knew that it wasn't going to be some sappy happy ending like he had hoped.

 

He dressed himself into a pair of jeans and a plain white shirt and left the bedroom, hoping Callie would have gone back to her and Ian's room, but somewhat to his surprise, she wasn't there.

 

He sat in the empty apartment, thinking about where she might have gone and he realized, he could find her where she always went when she was upset or needed to think, the boardwalk.

 

Callie had talked about her spot since he knew her, and since he knew her, he knew that she liked to be alone, but he couldn't just leave her alone- he needed to see her, to know what she was thinking. 

 

The beach was a short walk from the apartment, and as it was not even seven in the morning the sun had not risen and the place was deserted, except for on the pier he could see a petite brunette wearing a baggy sweatshirt and her hair in a messy side braid.

 

He didn't have to be too close to see the distressed look written all over her face.

 

He made his way up the stairs to approach her, with caution.

 

"Callie...I don't know what you want me to say." Noah said, truthfully as he hadn't exactly ever been in the situation.

 

_"Words of wisdom Noah truthfully."_ Callie laughed, sarcastically as she wiped her tear stained cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater.

 

"I'm not going to say I'm sorry. Last night for me it..."

 

_"It was a mistake."_ She interrupted him, but this didn't detour him.

 

"Look me in the eyes and honestly tell me you felt nothing for me. Tell me you were just drunk and it was all a mistake." Noah got closer to her, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes, but she quickly pulled away from him.

 

_"Ian is my boyfriend and he's your best friend it was a mistake Noah nothing else matters_." Her voice cracked, as more tears spilled over her cheeks.

 

"I'm so sick of hearing that Callie I know he's your boyfriend I get that trust me I see that every fucking day of my life but I care about you, what about that doesn't that mean anything?" Noah raised his voice, he did feel bad for almost yelling at her- but he was losing it, he felt like he was losing her and she didn't even belong to him.

 

_"I'm not a cheater..."_ She mumbled, unable to look him in the eyes.

 

"Yeah like he's never cheated on you a million fucking times." Noah stopped. He couldn't believe he had said that, something about this moment he wanted so badly to hurt her enough that she would just give in to him- but he knew that he had gone too far.

 

_"Fuck you Noah."_ She said, brushing by him, trying desperately to get away.

 

"A bit late for that one ain't it Cal?" He shouted as she walked quickly away, slamming his fist against the railing of the boardwalk.

 

Truthfully, Noah was no good at telling someone how he felt. He hadn't ever had a serious girlfriend before, so there wasn't ever a need to tell someone he cared. Callie scared him, and the thought her not wanting him scared him even more.

 

He stayed out of the house most of the day, knowing that Callie would most likely be gone by the time he got back, but as he opened the door, much to his surprise- there she was sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for him.

 

_"Freshman year there was that Frat party Ian had asked us to go to...do you remember that_?" She asked, not meeting her eyes with his, but from the corner of her eye she could see him nod, so she continued.

 

_"I came that night...to find you, but when I got there you were already upstairs with another girl..."_ She shrugged, Noah was quiet, shocked by the revelation.

 

"Ian said it was a date though." He muttered, coming closer towards her.

 

_"I never said that because I didn't want that. Noah from the day I met you...you were different than Ian. I tried so hard to get you to see me but it was like...like you didn't care."_

 

"Callie are you blind? This whole time I've been right here. Helping you study, sending those flowers after you finished your midterm last semester, telling Ian to stop his cheating...I've been here this whole time."

 

The both of them laughed, thinking about just how different things could have been.

 

_"So what now?"_ She asked, taking a deep breath and looking so deeply at him that his heart nearly palpated.

 

"I don't know...I do know we have the next three months to figure this out." He shrugged, placing his hand on the side her cheek, bringing her closer to his waist.

 

_"Why do I have this feeling you're about to mess up my entire life?"_ Callie smirked, and for the first time she made the first move, pressing her lips against his and kissing him nice and slow, reaching for the hem of his t-shirt to pull it over his head.

 


	4. Take A Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No matter how badly they want to be together, Noah and Callie realize Ian is still Callie's boyfriend- and that complicates everything.

"Why do you stay with him Cal?" Noah's voice was soft, here he was with the girl of his dreams, naked, and her head resting against his chest- and somehow all he could think about was his best friend, her boyfriend.

 

She stayed quiet for a long while, and soon Noah became worried that maybe he had just made her realize what a mistake she was making.

 

_"I'm happy with Ian."_ Callie spoke truthfully, and Noah suddenly wished that he had just kept his mouth shut.

 

Callie sat up, seeing the look of pain on Noah's face, she shook her head, a soft smile on her lips, and a slight flush to her cheeks.

 

_"I didn't mean it like that. I mean happy as in a sense of comfort. My whole life...I had never had a real boyfriend and then Ian came and at first he was sweet and he treated me well...then when things got bad I guess- I guess I just thought that being happy-ish with him would be better than being alone again."_ She shrugged, unsure if she even understood it herself.

 

All she really knew was that she had felt more alive in the last two days then she had in the last two years.

 

"You love him?" He asked again not really sure if he wanted to know the answer.

 

_"I don't love him in the way I think I did...Noah you-you complicate things. For the last two years I thought that I felt a certain way and then you-you make me feel something completely different. It's scary to wake up and have everything changed."_

 

Noah smiled, reaching out to bring her lips to his again when suddenly, a buzzing sounded from the night stand, Callie's phone, and a familiar face on the screen.

 

Ian hadn't called since he had made it into Seattle, just a text saying he was okay, and of course here he was, interrupting. Noah couldn’t help but be angry, but he knew deep down he didn’t have the right to be.

 

He just wanted to forget about Ian, and more importantly he wanted Callie to forget about Ian so he could prove to her what a good guy he could be for her…But it wasn’t that simple. Nothing about this, or them was simple.

 

Callie knew she didn't want to answer it, and truthfully Noah didn't want her to either- but they couldn't just decide he didn't exist.

 

Callie reached over, revealing her naked body, in bed with another guy, and answered the phone to speak with her boyfriend.

 

_"There's my Callie."_ Ian chuckled as Callie said a monotone 'hello,’ Callie couldn’t help but grimace at the fact that Ian couldn’t even tell there was anything wrong with the sound of her voice. Two years had gone by and it was safe to say that he didn’t know who she was at all.

 

_"How's it going?"_ She asked, hoping to do just a quick check in and say their goodbyes.

 

_"Uh it's good, it's crazy here, the work it's hard but the city, it's so beautiful you'll really love it here."_

 

_**She**_ would really love it there?

 

_"Me?"_ She asked, double checking her phone to ensure this was Ian she was speaking to.

 

Ian, the guy who had skipped her birthday party to go to a playoff game. Ian, the same guy who constantly forgot anniversaries, and cancelled dates. Here he was, talking about them.

 

There was a first for everything she supposed.

 

_"Well I don't plan on staying here by myself Cal."_ Ian's voice was soft, _"this place just made me realize what being away from you is like. I’m working my ass off because I want to build a life, build a career and I think it’s safe to say I want to do that with you…I miss you, listen I gotta go but I’ll call you later and we can talk about it more okay? I love you.”_

 

_"You too."_ Callie replied, suddenly kicking herself as she realized what she had said.

 

The call ended, and by the look on Noah’s face she could tell that he wasn’t happy with what he had just witnessed.

 

_"What was I supposed to do?"_ She shouted as Noah threw his boxers on and stormed out of the room and into the kitchen.

 

Callie followed suit, pulling his t-shirt over her body and following him out of the bedroom.

 

_"Nothing at all Callie you can just fuck me for the Summer and then get married to your boyfriend in the Fall!"_ He chuckled, sarcastically as he pulled a beer out of the fridge.

 

He knew he didn't really have a right to be mad, he was in the wrong- but he couldn't help it. The thought of losing Callie, before even really ever having her drove him insane.

 

_"That's just great Noah. What the fuck do you expect me to do? So you just want me to dump him and be with you? You want to lose your best friend over me? So that you can just get bored with me in a couple weeks like you do every other girl you bring into this house? What the fuck do you want from me?"_

 

Noah's jaw clenched. 

 

_"I'm in love with you Callie. So you can do whatever you want to do but know that. You can play make believe that Ian is going to magically be your knight in shining armor all you want but if you walk away from this, just know that it was because you were too chicken shit to come out of your bubble wrap world and see that you could be truly happy with someone. If you walk away, it will be your fault.”_

 

Callie stayed quiet, watching Noah walk back into the bedroom and slam the door behind him.

 

Over the last two years Callie could probably count the times on one hand that Ian had said he loved her, most of which she had initiated. Not once had she ever heard him say it with as much intensity as Noah just had.

 

Her stomach ached as she stood, frozen in the kitchen. Knowing what she wanted, but afraid to take the leap.

 


	5. White Picket Fence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vulnerability has never been Callie's strong suit. But can she do it for Noah? Well, she's sure going to try.

Callie sat, staring blankly at the door to Noah’s bedroom for what seemed like hours. She couldn’t bring herself to go in, no matter how badly she wanted to. She was scared.

She thought about Ian, and tried to picture her life a few years down the road. Would things get better after graduation? Would they be engaged, married…even together? It scared her to think that she had no faith in Ian to see where their relationship was heading.

She knew it wasn’t right, she was sure she had known that for a long time- Noah just made it clearer.

Still, she couldn’t bring herself to go in and give herself fully to him. He had to know what she was thinking, and why she was thinking it.

Without any more hesitation, Callie stormed into Noah’s room, finding him there – still shirtless and reading over a text book.

_“Let’s go.”_ She said, tossing him the shirt of his that she had been wearing, and walking across the hall into her and Ian’s shared bedroom to grab her own clothes.

“Where the fuck are we going?” He asked, slightly annoyed that a) she was barging in on him without confessing her love back and b) she had just gotten naked in front of him and he couldn’t even touch.

_“To see my bubble wrap world.”_ Callie’s tone was flat, and Noah could tell that he shouldn’t have said what he had to her- at least the parts he had thrown in just for the sake of hurting her.

After Callie was dressed she grabbed her car keys and led him to the parking garage.

The drive was silent, they didn’t say one word to another and Callie didn’t even bother to turn on the radio, a tell-tale sign that something was seriously wrong with her.

By the time they got to their destination, the sun was beginning to set and it was getting chilly out. They stopped in a luxurious neighborhood, Noah noted that nearly every one of the houses they passed by had multiple cars, and they were almost mansions.

Callie put the car in park across from a white house with blue shutters and a white picket fence. In the driveway there was a new BMW and a matching colored Mercedes. Whoever the house belonged to…they were loaded.

The front of the house had a large open window in it, and through the window, Noah could see a family at a dinner table, three smaller children and a wife and husband who were laughing and holding hands as they watched their children play with their food.

“Cal- what are we doing here?” He asked, his voice much softer than it had been previously, he could see that Callie was upset.

_“You see that guy in there?”_ She asked, motioning towards the man who seemed to be in his late forties, dressed nicely and someone who looked genuinely happy.

He nodded, without saying another word.

_“That’s my father…and his wife.”_ She said, hushed- almost ashamed.

Noah was confused.

_“The reason I can afford this car…to go to school, to do anything is because of him, and his wife.”_ Callie wiped her tears, trying not to breakdown, not wanting to look as weak as she felt.

_“He pays me not to exist. His wife, she has no idea that her perfect husband knocked one of his side girls up and got me.”_ Callie shook her head, trying not to look into the house any longer.

Callie had come here numerous times; from the moment she knew who he was- she wanted to know what his life was like. She wanted to know how different things might be.

_“I know that you think I’m being stupid, and you’re right…I don’t want to wake up one day Noah and find that my husband is paying some kid to stay away. I don’t want Ian…I don’t want that life, I want you.”_ Callie turned slightly, and without another word Noah pulled her in to him, his lips kissing hers softly, not caring the slightest bit about the saltiness from her tears.

After pulling away, Noah insisted that Callie get out of the driver seat and let him drive the few hours back to their apartment.

“Callie. I promise you, this- this won’t ever be us.” He said as she began to doze off as the night grew later.

Noah was amazed. From the time he had known Callie she had never really spoken about her family. Both Noah and Ian came from good families, and good homes, the way Callie presented herself they had all assumed she did as well. She was so incredibly strong, and he hated the fact that she had never been able to tell Ian any of this.

He knew as he watched her sleep, looking so incredibly peaceful and beautiful that she had his heart, and if she were to give hers to him, he would protect it with everything he had in him.

It was well after midnight when Noah and Callie arrived back to the apartment, and Noah couldn’t bring himself to wake her, so her carried her all the way back to the bedroom, his bedroom.

_“Noah.”_ Callie whispered, as he finished tucking her into the bed and sitting down beside her.

“You should sleep,” he insisted, running his fingers through her long dark hair.

_“You remember that red head you were seeing a few months ago? The one with the tattoos?”_ She smiled, opening her eyes only slightly, wanting to see the expression on her face.

He nodded.

_“She didn’t just stop coming around, I told her that you started seeing someone and you weren’t interested.”_ Callie laughed, knowing that she had been responsible for him being single…She knew it wasn’t fair, but the more time went on, the more seeing him with other girls hurt her too much to bare.

“What the hell Cal! That was my shot for true love!” He smirked, as they both knew exactly what the red head was.

She sat up, resting her chin on his shoulder and wrapping her legs around his waist.

_“I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m in love with you Noah. I tried to deny it, and I’ve tried to hide it…but I don’t want to hide anymore.”_

Noah’s eyes looked into hers. Nobody had ever told him that before. He had thought so long and hard about what it might feel like to hear anyone, let alone Callie say those words to him. But now, looking at her beautiful brown eyes and her bright smile…His thoughts couldn’t even compare to the real thing.

Noah rested her softly down back on to the mattress, and without a shed of doubt in either of their minds…they made love.


	6. Don't Be a Coward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah and Callie decide it's time Ian finds out the truth about them, but will things go as perfectly planned like they hoped?

"Hey Cal I just wanted to make sure you're okay with me calling today?" Noah shouted, as Callie was headed towards the front door for her morning run.

 

She stopped, dreading the aftermath of what would happen after he made the call to Ian.

 

_"I mean I still think it would be better to have the conversation in person...but I don't want to hide anymore."_ She smiled, pressing her lips against his cheek and heading out.

 

Noah smiled, but as he held his phone in his hand, staring at Ian's name in his contacts, he got nervous.

 

He was afraid to lose his best friend, but in his heart he knew that if Ian couldn't understand, if he shut him out for being honest, then he couldn't do anything about it.

 

He dialed the number, and waited.

 

_"Hey man long time!"_ Ian chuckled as he answered the phone.

 

"Yeah I know we've been busy I just wanted to talk to you."

 

_"We?"_ Ian asked, and Noah was quiet for a moment, _"whatever I need to talk to you too!"_ Ian said.

 

"What's up?" Noah asked.

 

_"I'm gonna propose to Callie when I get back, I got the ring and everything!"_

 

Noah froze, feeling everything go just a little bit dark.

 

"P-propose??" He mumbled.

 

_"I know it's crazy but being here I can see where my future is headed and I'm not gonna find another girl like that. I wanna be good, I want to settle down with a good girl."_

 

Noah stayed quiet.

 

"Uh yeah that's-that's great listen something came up. I gotta call you back."

 

Noah hung up the call, throwing it hard against his bedroom wall.

 

He sat blankly on the bed, face buried in his hands. His mind was racing with thoughts of Callie, thoughts about their future.

 

Ian was good, he was going to provide a good future and Noah knew that he didn't have anything to offer her.

 

He couldn't do this, he couldn't do it to Ian and he definitely couldn't do it to Callie, beautiful Callie.

 

He sat there for a long while until he heard the front door open and Callie call him.

 

He walked out of the bedroom, no expression on his face as she smiled brightly, she attempted to kiss him and he pulled away. 

 

_"It didn't go well?"_ She asked, removing her headphones from her ears and sliding them onto the table.

 

"I-I just the more I thought about it, Ian is good for you Cal." He mumbled, pained as the words left his mouth.

 

_"What the are you even saying right now?"_ She asked, her voice raised as she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

 

"Come on Callie he's smart, he's going to make great money-"

 

_"What does that have to do with me? Not one thing you just said says a thing about me. I don't give a shit about his money. I want you!"_

 

"Well I don't want you. This was...this was a mistake. Sorry." He looked away, unable to take the look of hurt on her face.

 

_"You're sorry? You're fucking sorry? What about all the crap about you loving me? Noah I love you...please don't do this."_ Her voice cracked, but he stayed shut off.

 

_"What happened?"_ She asked, her voice cracked.

 

"He's going to propose." He said as she began to walk away from him.  

 

_"You're a coward."_ She said headed towards the bedroom, grabbing a suitcase from the closet.

 

"Where the hell are you going?" He shouted, headed towards the bedroom behind her.

 

_"Get out. I can't even look at you."_ She wiped her tears, shoving pieces of clothes into her bag quickly.

 

"Callie you know it's better this way come on you know I'm not a good guy." He said, trying to stop her from packing, which she did, long enough to walk closer towards him, her hand crashing hard against the side of his face.

 

_"I don't want a guy who looks good on paper. I want you. I want you, you piece of shit and if you tell me right here right now that you don't want me then I hate you. I will never forgive you, because you were too big of a pussy to actually tell the truth."_ She spoke harshly, but meaning every word of it.

 

He paused, he didn't want to lose her, the thought of hurting her crushed him in a way he never thought could be possible.

 

Noah knew that he didn't want to lose her, but the thought of her giving up a future with Ian when he could hardly promise her tomorrow was a doubt that he couldn't shake.

 

"I don't want this. I don't want you." He said flatly.

 

Callie's expression fell, he knew that she didn't expect him to say it, and even though he was lying through his teeth it was clear that she couldn't tell.

 

Her eyes filled with tears as she backed away, not saying another word to him as she finished packing up her bag and heading towards the door past him.

 

"Where are you going?" He asked, his voice cracked but he tried not to show it.

 

_"I don't know but I would rather sleep in a box then to have to look at you,"_ and with that Callie was gone.

 

Noah slammed his fists on the kitchen counters, not really believing what he had just done.

 

He knew that she was right, he was a coward.

 

He had finally got everything he wanted, and it wouldn't really be real until he found a way to fuck it all up. 

 

For the next couple of hours, he called her repeatedly, leaving voicemail after voicemail, begging her to come home, begging to tell her that he was sorry and he loved her and he wouldn't do anything like it again, but she didn't answer.

 

He had to find her.

 

He had to make this right, even when he was the only one responsible for fucking it up he needed to make it better.

 

He realized as he grabbed his car keys and looked over the empty apartment, life without Callie in it, just wasn't much of a life at all. 

 


	7. Make It Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah searches for the right way to tell Callie how sorry he is.

It didn't take long for Noah to track Callie down in her old dorm that she hadn't ever officially moved out of.

 

_"Yeah she's here she told me to tell you not to bother though. She seems really pissed off, what the hell did you do?"_ Aimee, Callie's roommate said in a whispered tone.

 

"Uh...I had sex with someone in her bed." He lied, but he doubted she just wanted him going around telling their secret.

 

Days passed, and the days turned into weeks. Noah couldn't bother to show his face at her door, and he couldn't even manage to answer the phone when Ian called.

 

And when Ian showed up nearly a month early, after not being about to get a hold of his girlfriend or his best friend, he decided something had to have been up.

 

_"What the hell is going on here?"_ Ian shouted as Noah sat, blank faced on the couch, unsure of what to tell him as to why his girlfriend has just up and moved out and basically fell off the face of the earth.

 

"I don't know man maybe you should just talk to her." He shrugged, playing dumb, or at least trying to.

 

_"Well you know what I'm asking you, what the fuck did you do?"_ Ian said, taking a step closer towards Noah.

 

He cracked. He told her everything, everything.

 

_"What the fuck, who the fuck are you?"_ Ian asked as Noah stood, Ian pushed him roughly.

 

"Me? You cheated on Callie a million times what the fuck did you expect to happen? I love her, you don't even know the meaning."

 

Without another word, Ian punched Noah straight in the eye, and without even fighting back Noah gathered up his things and left, figuring that he had deserved that a little.

 

He tried sleeping in his car, but his mind raced with thoughts of Callie, and he knew he had to see her.

 

It was nearly midnight when he mustered the courage to head towards the dorm, and he stood in front of her door before it opened, there was Callie.

 

_"You can't just stand in front of someone's door and not knock I have neighbors who think you're creepy."_ She said emotionless, and finally getting a good look at his blackened eye.

 

_"What the hell happened to you?"_ She asked as he pushed by her and let himself in.

 

He looked around, double checking for any signs of anyone else in the room.

 

"Ian's back." He muttered, shaking his head at her, "that's not what I'm here for!" He shouted, causing her to jump a bit.

 

"Then what are you doing here?" She asked crossing her arms over her chest and looking at him, trying so hard to keep up her angry appearance, but on the inside she was dying at the thought of seeing him again, at the thought of him being so close to her.

 

"I fucked up." He said, and was silent for a moment.

 

He got that right. 

 

"I mean having sex with you when you were with Ian it was wrong, telling you that I loved you when you were with him it was wrong. I shouldn't have done that because I don't want to complicate your life. I want to make things better. I want you to come to me when you're feeling scared or doubtful, I want to be the one you talk to about anything. I want to love you Callie, but I want to do it right. And...and if you would just be willing to continue having this conversation with me, then we can make this work, I know we can."

 

Callie smiled, she wanted to say yes but the hurt he had caused her was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

 

_"You really hurt me."_ She said, her voice cracking slightly.

 

"I know Cal, I'm so fucking sorry for what I did to hurt you...but I swear to you that if I can have another chance to make it up to you, you won't be sorry." He took another step closer to her, running his fingertips over her arms, causing goosebumps to rise on her skin.

 

_"How hard did he punch you?"_ She said, a slight smirk on her lips.

 

"Really really hard." He chuckled, wincing as his eyes closed slightly.

 

_"Then I guess...since you did take a punch for me, then I guess I owe you."_

 

Without another word, Noah wrapped her in his arms, walking her towards her bedroom and slamming the door with his foot as he carried her bridal style, neither of them had a single care about a thing in the world…except for each other.

 


End file.
